I decided years ago that if I'm going to keep teaching contemplation, then the last years of my life should be contemplative.

The Gospel gives human suffering deep, personal, and cosmic meaning, by connecting our pain to the pain of others and, finally, by connecting us to the very "pain of God".

Having a school really is the fulfillment of a longtime dream of mine.

People wanted to me to describe more about what I call "the container," and then describe what the second half of life feels like.

If I'm going to continue to be any kind of spiritual teacher, I've got to go deeper myself. And so for me, [I am] preserving long periods of solitude, silence, prayer, journaling, study, writing. I don't turn on music or the TV unless I really need to.

Denial of our pattern of failure seems to be a kind of practical atheism or chosen ignorance among many believers and clergy.

You create your response to reality, and that response, for all practical purposes, is your reality.